Wening, Brooks Receive Phillips 66 Awards

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Jason Wening and Stephanie Brooks became the first disabled recipients of the Phillips 66 Swimmer of the Meet awards at the USA Swimming Disability Championships. Wening, a 23-year-old bilateral amputee, won the 100, 200, 400 and 1500m freestyle, while setting the world records in the latter three events. Brooks, a 17-year-old spina bifida-affected swimmer, won the 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800 free, setting the American record in all five events and the world record in the 200 free. Aaron Paulson came into the 1998 USA Swimming Disabled Championships hoping to erase painful memories from the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta. There, Paulson was seeded third in the preliminaries of the 100 back, but was disqualified for rolling over to soon on his turn. At this year’s championships, Paulson set an American record in the 200 back with a time of 2:55.13. He also won both the 50 butterfly and 200 individual medley.